How to Change the Fan Speed for a CPU

Controlling the CPU fan speed on a computer is important for a couple of reasons. Firstly, lower CPU fan speeds allow for a quieter computing solution, which is much appreciated while watching a movie or listening to music. Secondly, during situations which place great strain on a computing system, such as video encoding or playing video games, the CPU of the computer produces markedly higher amounts of heat which needs to be dissipated with higher fans speeds to avoid hardware damage. Thankfully, controlling your CPUs fan speeds is an easy task which any computer user can accomplish.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• SpeedFan

1. Download and install SpeedFan.

2. Launch SpeedFan from the desktop icon placed on your desktop during installation.

3. Wait for SpeedFan to load and detect all the temperature sensors on your system.

4. Review the information on the middle left area of the program window to the left of the temperature readings. This will be a listing of all installed fans and their respective fan speeds.

5. Locate the individual fan speed controls listed beneath both the fan speed and temperature readouts. These will be listed in order respective to the order of the fans listed above it.

6. Use the "Up" and "Down" buttons to control the speed of each individual fan. The processor fan will be listed as "CPU1" or "CPU0." The changes to CPU fan speed are instant and do not require restarting to take effect.

Tips & Warnings

• Lowering your fan speed too low may result in a critically higher temperature, and lead to system damage if kept sub average for an extended period of time.

References

• Using SpeedFan

Resources

• SpeedFan Download Page